title: Video game therapy for emotional regulation and impulsivity control in a series of treated cases with bulimia nervosa.
abstract: Although standard psychological treatments have been successful in treating several core features in eating disorders (ED), other characteristics such as emotional regulation or impulsivity appear to be more resistant to change. There is a growing body of evidence to support the efficacy of cognitive remediation for cognitive and emotional difficulties in ED. Playmancer/ Islands is a video game (VG) designed to specifically treat mental disorders, characterized by problems in impulse control. The objective of the game is to increase self-control over emotions, decision making and behaviours. The aim of this study is to describe the results from a consecutive series of nine bulimia nervosa patients who were treated with the VG in addition to cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). The outcomes included clinical and psychopathological questionnaires, and physiological measures were obtained during the VG. Emotional regulation improved, heart rate variability increased, and respiratory rate and impulsivity measures reduced after the treatment. These findings suggest that VG training may enhance treatment for ED.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge-IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto Salud Carlos III, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Fagundo
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Santamaría
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Forcano
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giner-Bartolomé
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Murcia
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Granero
authors.forename: Maher
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben-Moussa
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Magnenat-Thalmann
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Konstantas
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Mikkel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Jeppe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Richard G A
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Bults
authors.forename: Salomé
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tarrega
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Menchón
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de la Torre
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cardi
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Treasure
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernández-Aranda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018910:Video Games / Q000523:psychology
keywords: bulimia nervosa; cognitive stimulation; eating disorders; emotional regulation; executive functions; impulsivity; video game therapy